The Sudden Explosion of HMS Vanguard at Anchor in Scapa Flow

Join us as we delve into the intriguing and tragic story of HMS Vanguard, one of the Royal Navy's St. Vincent-class battleships from the 1907 estimates. While she may have been one of the older dreadnoughts at the outbreak of World War I, her role in the Great War and her sudden, catastrophic end make her a ship worth remembering. In this video, we explore the events leading up to that fateful night on July 9, 1917, when Vanguard mysteriously exploded and disappeared within moments. Out of the 800 brave men on board, only two survived, making it one of the largest disasters in Royal Navy history. We approach this controversial subject with a commitment to providing factual information, drawing from various credible sources linked in the description below. Discover the routine life aboard HMS Vanguard, its practice drills, and the changes in Scapa Flow throughout the war. Learn how the Royal Navy's safety protocols, or the lack thereof, played a significant role in the ship's tragic fate. We also investigate the theories surrounding the explosion, from negligence in cordite stowage to the possibility of enemy action. Dive into the findings of the official inquiry board and their attempts to uncover the truth behind Vanguard's destruction. The wreck of HMS Vanguard still rests in Scapa Flow, serving as a war grave and a reminder of the importance of safety measures in naval warfare.
Photos:www.huskyan.com/diving/hms-va...
Sources/Other Reading:
www.amazon.com/Castles-Steel-...
www.amazon.com/British-Battle...
www.amazon.com/Jutland-1916-C...
www.amazon.com/Jutland-Unfini...
www.amazon.com/German-Battlec...
www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-w...
www.jutland1916.com/
Video Information:
Copyright fair use notice. All media used in this video is used for the purpose of education under the terms of fair use. All footage and images used belong to their copyright holders, when applicable.

[@ImportantHistory]

I hope you all enjoyed the video. There are some things I would like to clarify about some of the photos used. If there is an asterisk in the top left corner, than it is a photo of one of Vanguard's sister ships as it was rather difficult finding photos of Vanguard and the aftermath of the explosion. I could really only find one photo of the aftermath. Also, I show photos of some of the more famous cordite explosions at Jutland as a way to show the destructive power of the material, it's not a great translation but I didn't want to continuously show just photos of Vanguard and her sisters. Also, at the end the ship I show is HMS Glatton of which I should make a video about. But, here is Drach's 5 minute guide to learn a little more: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKSQcmijqtp9abc

[@vipertwenty249]

Asterix not astricts. Spellchecker!!

[@AndrewGivens]

A good video about an interesting subject, but it must be noted that the ammunition handling issues of the Battle Cruiser Fleet (and prior to Jutland, the Grand Fleet too, before the 'speed' cult at Scapa was rescinded by order of Admiral Jellicoe some time before the infamous battle) are of a different nature to that which claimed the 'Bulwark'. Buwark was lost on a Sunday morning, early in the war, while in the midst of a 'cordite sorting exercise'. This ship had the old MD formulation and a lot of it may have been sitting around for a while - although with MD, providing it was correctly stored, this would not be a problem. The crew had gone for breakfast and morning sermon, when the explosion occurred amidships. It is entirely possible - and the Admiralty Board of Enquiry concluded such - that cordite may have been left stacked in an unsafe manner; potentially against a bulkhead where heat transfer might have been an issue and could have ignited the charges & led to a deflagration amongst the stores of it. What is fairly certain is that the loss of 'Bulwark' - and very likely the equally-as-old 'Natal' - was due to an entirely different set of circumstances and causal factors than the Jutland losses. It is also quite possible that 'Vanguard's' loss was similarly brought about by a new set of factors at play - the new and unknowingly unstable RDB formulation had not revealed itself as a time bomb up to this point but there is strong evidence that it was. Thanks for covering a really thought-provoking subject, albeit an incredibly tragic one. The force of the blast that night was truly enormous and it is sad that so many had to perish for no reason.

[@mkaustralia7136]

⁠@@vipertwenty249 ah, actually “asterisk”Sounds like a.stuh·ruhsk

[@vipertwenty249]

@@mkaustralia7136 Only in Australia and possibly America.

[@user-lj1ck7wn7b]

Great video I learnt a lot

[@chrisvowell2890]

This is a great and well detailed video. My grandfather, Alfred Esau Vowell who, I believe, was a stoker, died on HMS Vanguard that night.

[@peterdavies9166]

My great uncle Robert Waite was a signalman on Vanguard during Jutland and then amongst those lost at Scapa Flow. I grew up always seeing a large photo of him in uniform on my grandmother's living room wall. He was well-loved by all the family who knew him (especially his sister) and his photo has always been in my memory.

[@stirlingmoss4621]

are you a Leicester Waite by chance?

[@peterdavies9166]

@@stirlingmoss4621 My maternal grandmother was Robert Waite"s sister and their family was from Wiltshire.

[@Ah01]

Considering the fact that hms Natal had suffered a very similar fate two years earlier, the risk of storaging the aging cordite was not taken seriously enough…

[@murrayscott9546]

Thanks for your work. Pity the lost souls .

[@barneylinet6602]

These WWI fleets were immense, the Grand Fleet could muster 24 dreadnoughts. It is important that we study and learn from this experience and remember the souls who were lost.....

[@dessmith7658]

For those in peril on the sea, we salute you

[@richardcutts196]

It has been speculated that the 'stabilizer' in British pattern cordite was to blame for spontaneous magazine explosions in Vanguard and the three other ships lost that way in WW1 and WW2, as well as a possible contributing factor to the loss of HMS Hood. In WW1 besides Vanguard (1917), the Italian Dreadnought Leonardo da Vinci (1916), the Russian Black Sea Fleet Dreadnought Imperatritsa Mariya (1916) and in WW2 the Japanese Dreadnought Mutsu (1943) all suffered magazine explosions and they all used British style cordite as propellant for their guns.

[@psikogeek]

IJN Mutsu also won the Vanguard award

[@SCjunk]

Yes but that may have been due to a terminally disgruntled Japanese seaman -perhaps it would have been better to transfer him to the air arm where his kamikaze tendency could have been put to better use, that said showed that the brutality of Japans military discipline had serious down sides -but pissing off anyone in any armed force who has access to sharp, hurty or bangie things is not a wise move -when I was a kid it was called fragging.

[@gayprepperz6862]

Great presentation, detailed and objective. Glad I found your channel and I look forward to viewing more of your work!

[@wildcolonialman]

Such a magnificent name for a Ship, of War. The Vanguard presence, imperative. A terrible terrible accident it appears, perhaps. Stunning.

[@1987phillybilly]

Very informative. I knew very little about this ship and class and did some reading on this and RN practices. MAN, it is a wonder they didnt lose more ships to those ways.

[@jamesricker3997]

There was a problem with British cordite. As it aged crystals of nitro glycerin formed It would only take a minor jolt to set off a crystal, which would set off the remainder of the charge.

[@bobcornford3637]

A very good, well balanced video. I'm glad you mentioned Master Gunner Grant. From my reading I think that the Battleships were better in terms of keeping to the Regulations than the BCS. Grant writes that it seemed to be common practise among them to remove Anti Flash doors to Magazines and Cordite dredgers, not just wedge them open.

[@SCjunk]

That said everything is a learning curve had SMS Seydlitz not received such a pounding at Dogger Bank , the out come for Jutland may have been markedly different, it was only remedial action after the near loss of Seyditz when her Y turret received a near miss flashing off propellant and killing around 160 crew and burning out Y an X turrets that probably saved the HSF from suffering massive losses at Jutland a primary cause was manhandling of the German equivilent of Clarkson cases outside the protected handling areas that led to this tragedy -as it was only quick action by the DC parties that saved the ship from a chain detionation. As it was even at Jutland the only Battleship lost on either side -the Semi Dreadnought SMS Pommern was lost because some idiot designer stowed secondary 17 cm ammunition with fused ready shells facing outward in the broadside handling rooms, so adding to the bang when she was torpedoed, So it is all a learning curve -the British were still struggling with DC in the Falklands war and possibly had the Germans been involved in any post 1945 action they too would be learning new stuff.

[@worthatronproduction]

One of my distant cousins was a marine on board at the time

[@brianomalley7501]

I don't know how you find time to do what you do another absolutely awesome one great footage on this one you absolutely deserve more credit for what you do thank you once again my friend for a great history lesson fellow viewers spread the word how awesome this channel is

[@philipnorris6542]

At the going down of the Sun and in the morning we will remember them.

[@SCjunk]

Cordite was known to produce crystals which built up in magazines and inefficient house-keeping in working areas and handling rooms added to danger. 12 inch shells from Vanguard were still a hazard during work for North Sea Oil pipelines in the 1970s -1980s.

[@AndrewGivens]

Earlier Cordite MD was actually rather safe and had a reasonable shelf life without issues of spontaneous combustion. This was largely a result of being produced by Waltham Abbey Powder Mills - a long-established factory. It was the war emergency formulated Cordite *RDB* that was the problematic one. This was almost entirely caused by the hasty expansion of the Cordite industry, with the 1915 construction of factories at Gretna Green (producing for the Army) and RNCF Holton Heath (producing it for the Navy): The new factories had hastily-laid pathways between the various buildings which used crushed aggregate or 'cinder'. These 'cinder paths' were not present at Waltham Abbey. At Holton Heath, the chemistry of the aggregate in the cinder paths included pyrite, and as you stated this was inadvertently carried into the mix one the footwear of workers (largely female, for historical note). It was this pyrite which was the cause of the chemical decomposition and instability of Cordite RCB. The stuff from Gretna may not have been contaminated as badly, but in any case the Army was busy using all the propellant it could get in the incessant campaigning. For the Navy, it was a different matter as, after June 1916, there was not as much surface action with the enemy save for destroyer actions. The Grand Fleet practised gunnery, of course, but not so much as to use up its supply of propellant on a regular basis. By 1917, RDB had largely replaced MD and, had it been the earlier type in use, this long period of standing around would not have been a problem - but nobody knew that the new RDB was, quite literally, a time-bomb. Women and girls toiled in horrible conditions making this stuff to help their fighting men, who then perished from it. An awful, horrible tragedy, and irony at its worst.

[@chun-mailiu4329]

Thank you very much, sir, for sharing an important history. Naval operation has never been easy, good practices sometimes were only learnt from hard lessons of lives lost.

[@lyedavide]

Thanks for another interesting video on a lesser known tragedy.

[@kidmohair8151]

you have a great week too.

[@1089maul]

Thank you for a. Interesting and well balanced presentation!

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

One thing about Coal Fired Ships - was that that coal could spontaneously catch fire. Then that fire could cause other problems. That is what happened to the _USS Maine_ in Havana Harbor which started the Spanish - American War when the Spanish were blamed for it. Eventually, much later, they had the technology to raise the ship - and that is when they determined what had really happened. .

[@andrewhammel8218]

Could this accident have been the same thing that happened to the USS Maine which famously exploded in Havanna harbor...the trigger of the Spanish American War?

[@davidwright7193]

Between 1914 and 1917 Scapa Flow turned from a desolate isolated outpost with little supply infrastructure and protection to a well supplied and protected desolate isolated outpost. In Orkney bloody Orkney.

[@paulthewall4764]

Very good presentation. Thank you

[@captaccordion]

I hadn't heard about this incident, which is interesting in itself, as it presumably indicates that it was kept very quiet at the time. The name Vanguard was thus not so tarnished that it couldn't be used on another battleship less than 30 years later. Also a car came to carry the name in 1948 with permission granted by the RN. The Vanguard car was a very popular model with a 15 year run, from the Standard Motor Company.

[@daviddavid5880]

I'm not laying awake at night wondering how a steel box full of tons of high explosives, and largely manned by teenagers blew up, but it's still an interesting subject.

[@jonathanwheeler4767]

There was an unfortunate sailor from the Imperial Japanese navy on board who also lost his life attached to learn how the Brttish navy managed a modern ship/fleet

[@CliveN-yr1gv]

Fascinating doco. It must have been a terrifying event. The ammunition factory at White Lund had a fire in 1917 and blew up. The shock could be felt almost 50 miles away. Exploding shells flew into Lancaster as well as falling into Morecambe Bay. Most of the women workers were on dinner break, so the main loss of life was to the firemen whu came to suppress the fire. The poor souls on VANGUARD wouldn't have stood a chance in that confined space. Your video reminds us of their sacrifice and the need for scrupulous safety practices at all times. If it's a drill contained in the BR, it's there for a good reason. Thank you again.

[@ImportantHistory]

It’s interesting, I was just looking at this script again for the upcoming Jutland video. These unsafe handling practices are pretty insane to look back on!

[@CliveN-yr1gv]

​@@ImportantHistoryslow and accurate. Fast and terrifying. That shock and awe mindset. Jellicoe vs Fisher. I can't thank you enough for your videos. 🙏🏽

[@jessmarks2214]

Fantastic narration, research and production..

[@leeforeman3656]

Great video. I allways assumed the Vanguard had being scrapped with the majority of the battle fleet after WW1. As far as the royal navy learning from their mistakes, I doubt it, as possible evidence of HMS Hood in WW2. 👍

[@SCjunk]

I'd think becoming a target for modern 15 inch and 8 inch shells was far more likely reason for the loss of HMS Hood than any lack of cordite handling, there is many disputed naratives the nearest to an on board weapons failure is one of the survivors saw an incandesant glow from one of the A/A rocket launcher mounting stowage moments before the explosion -so possibly fire -Rocket motors produce intense burning energy like a giant thermal lance -managed to case a chain detonation though to the 4 inch magazine and thus to X turret magazines, or Bismark gunners had a specatcularly good day. The reality, like Vanguard, and the battlecruiser losses the actual definative cause can never be ascertained, The only Royal Navy ship loss of this era that can be definatively ascertained is the loss of of HMS Glatton which caught fire and was sunk in Dover harbour on 16.9.1918 and even then the cause of the loss is assumed by test and examination of her sister ship HMS Gorgon that was found to be of poor war time construction techniques which can be assumed to be simlar to that in Glatton, but Glatton still exist should you want to get a bucket and spade an disprove the accepted narrative as it is now under the the ferry terminal car park. further a field there are still contra claims as to the loss of MN Bouvet which was sunk in the Dardenelles in 1915 -the Turks say it was lost due to gun fire the French say a Mine, that a CPO escaped the sinking ship though the hole under the midship gun house root makes a mine very likely as a 24 cm shell would be incapable of reaching that far into the water to cause a gash in the root of the midship turret which is at bilge keel level.

[@jamieduff1981]

There's no evidence of that whatsoever, furthermore, the Admiralty and DNC decided to remove some discretion from sea captains and Hood onwards would receive increasingly sophisticated interlocks in the ammunition handling systems and turret trunks. It was not possible to simply "leave flash doors open" on ships constructed after Jutland, as the next stage of ammunition transfer would not start until the interlock permitted it.

[@Mr9ig]

My Gt Grandfather was killed when she sunk, Frederick William Hutchings was a member of the “black gang” a stoker 1st class who’s job was to keep the ships steam boilers fed with coal. He was 45 when he died he volunteered because he had a large family and as a docker working in the port of London area work was scarce, you had to gather outside the dock gates every day and hope you were picked out for a days work. At least the navy was a regular income. My Grandad was 11 when his dad was killed.

[@brianomalley7501]

God bless him sounds like a awesome guy

[@robertewing3114]

Nichols is a surname, Nicholas is a first name, and also a surname - Jack Nicholas for example. The video states Nichols, you say Nicholas. Excellent again, apart from that explosion you are proving yourself the coolest vanguard. 11:29

[@ImportantHistory]

Thanks for the correction, I placed text at the bottom of the screen to correct myself. I normally would have re-recorded that section but unfortunately life got a little too busy so I apologize for the error.

[@michaelplanchunas3693]

Read "A North Sea Diary 1914-1917" by Stephen King-Hall, a junior officer onboard a British light cruiser in Scapa Flow. Gives a very good insight into life aboard a British Warship 1914-1917. From boring days at anchor, to facing raging winter gales off Norway while on patrol, to the Battle of Jutland.

[@ImportantHistory]

Thanks for the recommendation!

[@ut000bs]

No results found for "A North Sea Diary 1914-1917" by Stephen King-Hall.

[@michaelplanchunas3693]

Try again it's in reprint and I've found several for sale online@@ut000bs

[@mikepotter5718]

Remember the Maine.

[@bazza945]

Inquiries were designed to protect the Navy from any hint of slackness.

[@ed12151]

How likely was this same situation could have led to the Hood being lost?

[@slimrummy4616]

Found it

[@ImportantHistory]

Just saw your comment on the short, glad you found it :)